Golf club cover

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed at a humorous club head cover. The club head cover is designed to resemble the rear end of an animal. Therefore, when a golfer places the club head cover on a golf club stored in a golf bag, the animal appears to be jumping into the golf bag with the animal&#39;s rear quarters in full view.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a golf club cover that protects a golfclub from damage when not in use. This invention particularly relates toa golf club cover that is designed to mimic the rear end of an animal soas to be entertaining to the golfer and others.

BACKGROUND

Golfers carry a set of golf clubs that comprises a collection of woods,irons, a putter, and often a pitching wedge or a sand wedge. All ofthese clubs are usually carried in a golf bag. Unfortunately, the clubscan be damaged because they rub against one another in the bag as thegolfer moves from hole to hole on the course. Additionally, the golfclubs may become dusty when they are stored.

To prevent this type of damage, club head covers are placed over theclub heads when the clubs are not in use. A typical club head coverresembles a sock and is simply slid over the club head portion of thegolf club. Another known club head cover utilizes two plastic piecesthat are connected together with a hinge that enables the cover tosecurely fit around a club head.

While known club head covers protect the clubs from damage, they havenumerous drawbacks. -For example,-some club head covers do not fitsnugly around the club. They tend to flop around as the golfer carrieshis bag, which can lead to the covers falling off the club.Additionally, known club head covers come in several different sizeswhich limits their usability with several different golf clubs. Anotherproblem with known club head covers is their overall bland design. Mostcovers are nothing more than an unadorned piece of fabric. The plasticcovers are not any more attractive, as they too are unadorned plasticshells that surround each club head.

With the advent of Tiger Woods as the preeminent golfer, at least oneclub head cover has been developed that mimics the eponymous tiger,which adds some humor to the club head cover market (not to mentionfurther branding for Mr. Woods). These club head covers feature fabricdesigned to mimic the anterior portion of an animal's body, with thehead of the animal creating an illusion of an animal peaking over theedge of the golf bag. While aesthetically pleasing to some, these clubhead covers have become well known and add little excitement to the gameof golf. What is really needed is a club head cover that cracks thetraditional mold for golf club accessories.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newclub head cover that fits securely around a club head and that canaccommodate club heads of various sizes. It is yet another object of thepresent invention to provide a club head cover that that does not floparound once it is slid over the club head. It is a further object of thepresent invention to provide a club head cover that is humorous anddecorative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a club head cover that is designed to mimic theposterior end of an animal. Specifically, the club head cover includesstructural features peculiar to a given species to mimic the posteriorend of an animal, including where appropriate, buttocks, legs, or atail, constructed from material that resembles fur or skin. When placedover a club head on a golf club that is in a golf bag, the club headcover gives the illusion of the animal jumping or burrowing into thegolf bag with its rear end in the air. The present invention alsocontemplates that any type of animal can be used, including mammals,fish, insects, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a club head cover;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a club head cover placed on a golfclub;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a club head cover takenalong line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a club head cover takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a club head cover that is structured toresemble the posterior end of an animal. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the clubhead cover comprises a club head portion 10 connected to a shaft portion12 to protect a golf club 14 from damage. Club head portion 10 is madefrom fabric in one embodiment and covers a club head 18. Shaft portion12 is constructed from a piece of stretchable fabric in one embodimentand is attached to club head portion 10 to cover a shaft 16. Club headportion 10 can be made large enough to cover club heads of various sizesfor all known golf clubs. Other embodiments enable shaft portion 12 tobe constructed from any type of fabric or even a hard material such asplastic if desired.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, club head portion 10 is constructed from amaterial 19 to enable it to resemble the posterior portion (i.e. rearend) of the animal. To this end, one embodiment of the club head portion10 further comprises buttocks 17, legs 20 and a tail 22 to mimic a horseas shown. But any type of animal, including a human or other mammal,fish, or insect etc., can be depicted by club head portion 10 and fallwithin the scope of the invention. Depending on the species, legs 20should be eliminated and another part substituted therefore if theparticular animal sought to be mimicked does not have legs. For example,a fin is used instead of legs if the animal is a fish and a stinger isused when the animal is a bee. If appropriate, (such as in the case of afish), club head portion 10 can comprise the entire animal, includingthe head as long as the posterior portion is sticking up out of a golfbag during use.

Animals that can be mimicked include (but are in no way limited to): afrog, cat, cow, baboon, cougar, duck, rabbit, pig, alligator, penguin,turkey, dog, zebra, rat, possum, deer, beaver, sheep, kangaroo, lion,bee, skunk, jaguar, bird, turtle, camel, squirrel, panda, tiger,ostrich, raccoon, goldfish, flamingo, donkey, bear, lady bug, chicken,giraffe, macaw, scorpion, polar bear, crab, black panther, bison, and arattlesnake.

Club head portion 10 is shaped and constructed to resemble any of theseanimals, in a manner similar to a stuffed animal. Along these lines,material 19 either already resembles an animal or is adorned withvarious other structural elements to do so. The shape and appearance ofmaterial 19 will vary depending on which type of animal is beingdepicted. Therefore, orange fabric with black stripes is used formaterial 19 to represent a Bengal tiger. A club head cover depicting aBengal tiger also has a tail formed directly from material 19.Alternatively, black and white spotted fabric is used to depict a cow.Examples of acceptable material to function as material 19 includeplush, fabric, fur, suede, or vinyl. But any type of material can beused as long as it enables club head portion 10 to resemble an animal.Examples of other acceptable materials include hard materials such asplastics or metals. Specifically, if the animal sought to be representedis a bug or other insect, using plastic as material 19 is appropriatebecause insects typically have a hard exoskeleton that is representedwell by plastic or another hard material.

For certain animals, other structural element(s) are incorporated withinmaterial 19 or attached to it. For example, a cover depicting a cowlikely comprises a separate structural element that represents an udderattached to the belly portion of the cow. A bird has feathers and ascorpion has claws, while a horse has a tail 22 as shown. In the end,any type of appendage can be applied to club head portion 10 to enableit to resemble the posterior portion of an animal.

Turning now to FIGS. 2-3, the interior of club head portion 10 will bediscussed. A liner 24 is sewn to the material 19 or attached to it byother methods including adhesives. In one embodiment, padding 26 isplaced in one or more pockets that are formed between liner 24 andmaterial 19 to create the external shape. For example, a cow's udder ismade by constructing material 19 in a first shape and the liner 24 in asecond shape, and filling the interstitial spaces created therebetweenwith padding. Additionally, a band 28 is concentric with and is attachedto liner 24. Band 28 is generally constructed from a stretchablematerial such as elastic and causes liner 24 to fit snugly against clubhead 18. Preferably the band 28 is positioned on the liner such that,when the club is inserted in the cover, the band rests below the clubhead and contracts to hold the liner snug around the shaft.

To ensure that appendages maintain a life-like appearance, a wire 30 maybe inserted within each appendage as shown in FIG. 4. Wire 30 enableslegs 20 to be erect to simulate how animal legs appear in real life. Inone embodiment, wire 30 is constructed from a bendable material such asmetal to allow the golfer to bend each leg 20 to a desired position andremain in that position until bent to another one. If appropriate,another wire 30 may be inserted into the tail to be used to enable tail22 to be bent and retain its shape. Alternatively, wire 30 can beinserted within wings to give them rigidity if the animal represented isa bird. As shown, wire 30 has a circular cross-section, but any shapecan be utilized for wire 30 and fall within the scope of the presentinvention, including flat or rectangular wires.

In one embodiment, wire 30 is coated so that it does not rust orprotrude through material 19. Any type of plastics, rubbers or similarmaterials can be used to coat wire 30. One acceptable material ispolyvinyl chloride or PVC. In one embodiment, wire 30 disposed withinlegs 20 and tail 22 is directly surrounded by padding 26. But, in otherembodiments, liner 24 could be extended into legs 20 and tail 22 tocontact wire 30.

In certain embodiments, wire 30 can be completely eliminated so thatlegs 20 and tail 22 are limp. Or, other types of devices can be usedbesides wire 30 to make legs 20 and tail 22 more rigid. Some examplesinclude constructing appendages from plastic, metal, or rubber rods,tubes or coils.

As we reach the end of this description, it is apparent that the clubhead cover of the present invention is an effective and humorous deviceto protect golf club 14 from damage. Besides protecting club 14 fromdamage, the club head cover(s) of the present invention also enable agolfer to easily identify which club 14 is covered by a particular clubhead cover. Specifically, a user can “assign” a particular animal to aclub and easily remember which club 14 is beneath the myriad of clubhead covers in his golf bag. For example, a golfer might decide to onlyuse a club head cover that resembles a horse for his 3-wood and anotherclub head cover that resembles a cow for his driver. This enables thegolfer to easily select the club he needs even if all the clubs arecovered in his golf bag.

While there has been illustrated and described what is at presentconsidered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention.Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A club head cover comprising a club head portion that has a shape ofthe posterior end of an animal.
 2. The club head cover according toclaim 1 further comprising a shaft portion attached to the club headportion.
 3. The club head cover according to claim 1 further comprisinga liner that is attached to the club head portion and contacts the clubhead.
 4. The club head cover according to claim 3 wherein the club headportion further comprises material, the material having a first shapeand the liner having a second shape, and the liner placed within thematerial to create one or more interstitial spaces between the materialand the liner to create the shape of the posterior end of the animal. 5.The club head cover according to claim 3 further comprising an elasticband that is concentric with and is attached to the liner.
 6. The clubhead cover according to claim 1 further comprising at least oneappendage attached to the club head portion.
 7. The club head coveraccording to claim 6 wherein the appendage is supported by a bendablewire.
 8. A club head cover comprising: a) a shaft portion; b) a clubhead portion attached to the shaft portion comprising material thatdefines two legs and a tail to enable the club head portion to have theshape of the posterior end of an animal; and c) wire placed within eachleg and the tail to enable the legs and tail to be bent to a desiredposition and retain that position.
 9. The club head cover according toclaim 8 further comprising a liner that is attached to the material andcontacts the club head portion.
 10. The club head cover according toclaim 9 further comprising an elastic band that is concentric with theliner.
 11. The club head cover according to claim 8 further comprisingan additional structural element attached to the material that mimics ananatomical feature of the animal that the club head portion resembles.12. The club head cover according to claim 11 wherein the additionalstructural element is hair.
 13. The club head cover according to claim11 wherein the additional structural element is an udder.
 14. The clubhead cover according to claim 8 wherein the animal is a mammal.
 15. Theclub head cover according to claim 8 wherein the animal is a bird. 16.The club head cover according to claim 8 wherein the animal is aninsect.
 17. A club head cover comprising: a) a shaft portion capable ofcovering a portion of the shaft of a golf club; b) a club head portionattached to the shaft portion that is capable of covering a club head ofa golf club and comprises material that defines two legs and a tail toenable the club head portion to resemble the posterior end of an animal;c) a liner attached to the shaft portion that is covered by the materialand directly contacts a club head; d) an elastic band attached to theliner; e) padding placed between the liner and the material; and f)bendable wire placed within each leg and the tail to enable the legs andtail to be bent to a desired shape and retain that shape.
 18. The clubhead cover according to claim 17 wherein the bendable wire is coveredwith a plastic coating.
 19. The club head cover according to claim 17wherein the material resembles fur.
 20. The club head cover according toclaim 17 wherein the material resembles skin.